The story starts in 1995, when Rep. Michael Castle, then the Republican at-large representative for Delaware, took over as head of the House Financial Services subcommittee on domestic and international monetary policy. Issues of coinage were part of that subcommittee’s jurisdiction, and so Castle — who tells me that he personally has never collected coins or previously hadn’t had much interest in coin issues — started working with coin collectors and others to draft legislation on the topic.

“It’s a little bit like being the head caretaker of the cemetery. There are a lot of people under you, but nobody listens.” — Rep. Hal Rodgers (R-KY), quoted by the New York Times, describing House Speaker John Boehner’s leadership.

Republicans are in tough guy mode. Lots of chest thumping and trash talk going on as they, once again, thrust the debt ceiling onto center stage. The howling is quite intense, and, as usual, our awesome media will latch onto the hysterics with a passion that would make a Twilight fan blush. My advice to Dems… Ignore it.